Communication for Another Development: Listening before Telling

Wendy Quarry and Ricardo Ramirez are both independent consultant practitioners in Communication for Development, they have worked together on field projects, evaluations and publications over the last years, and they have been involved in relevant academia and development circles. Ricardo Ramírez was born and raised in Mexico and is now based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. His consulting and research work includes communication planning, participatory evaluation and capacity development. Ricardo began his career in agricultural sciences that he followed with demonstration farm projects in South America. His graphic design and illustration skills led to a focus on participatory learning and media. He then switched to the field of adult education and community development. His doctoral work focused on how rural and remote communities harness information and communication technology. He has worked with the Communication for Development group at FAO, Rome, with non-governmental organizations, and with consulting firms. For two years he was professor in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph where remains as adjunct. The writing of this book has helped him reflect on the rare conditions under which international development achieves its goals, in contrast with the many achievements that people demonstrate in the absence of aid. Wendy Quarry began her work as a communication specialist with an apprenticeship to the radio school movement in Latin America. Before that she had been a broadcaster in radio and television in Montreal. In 1981 she accepted a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to learn to adapt her Canadian communication experience to a development context. She joined the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in 1982 as a communication specialist on the Bangladesh program. Later she and her family moved with CIDA to Ghana, West Africa and from there took a secondment to the World Bank in New Delhi. This was followed by a return to CIDA in Pakistan where she stayed for four years. After leaving CIDA in 1994 she became an independent consultant in communication, evaluation and capacity building working for governments, NGOs, the private sector and a variety of donors. In 2004 she and her husband moved to Kabul for two years where she worked with Afghan NGOs funded by Novib. Now back in Canada she lives in Ottawa and continues to consult in communication. She has a great deal of experience working in the grey zone.